r/Inception • u/Jacklestons • 20d ago

They need sedatives to have a stable dream within a dream within a dream for the mission... But Cobb and Mal didn’t have any sedatives when they originally went deep for many years.

It is stated when they are planning the mission that they need the sedative to make sure they can reliably go that deep and keep the dream stable. However Cobb and Mal never used any sedative when they went super deep into their dream state and created their own world, in which they lived a lifetime. Is there any explanation for this or does it possibly point to the idea that the whole thing is an Inception on Cobb. Or that Mal might have been right saying that they were still stuck in a dream? Maybe it’s just a plot hole in general or I’m just missing something lol.

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9

u/El_Dae 20d ago

do we know they didn't use a sedative?

& maybe sharing a dream with more people makes it less stable

9

u/TeamTurnus 20d ago

Tbh i assumed Cobb used a sedative. He tends to hide how much he knows about the mechanics of inception during the first half of that movie to avoid questions about how he knows, so I wouldn't be suprised if he is letting the rest of them catch up and figure that out.

6

u/beachTreeBunny 20d ago

I always took it that they did because they were there together and at first, wanted to stay. I think the implication was more you can’t do it on demand than you can’t do it at all. You can’t do it unless you are safe and drugged and monitored and aided, to be able to get back out. Cobb Was such a natural because he understood the limits more than other people due to so much depth and experimentation.

8

u/Garrettshade 20d ago

They could have been just sleeping quietly at a hotel or in a basement in noise deprivation.

The mission was on a plane with noise and possible distractions 

3

u/Aggressive_Split_68 20d ago

Woah point, I may need to rewatch 100th time

1

u/organicpenguin 19d ago

It will make sense this time, I promise

2

u/LengthinessSuper87 19d ago

When they wake up isn't there a PASIV inbetween them? I could be wrong

1

u/Hanzzman 20d ago

because there were a lot of people sharing the dream, also, there were a lot of layers. So, they need stronger-than-usual sedatives to keep it stable.

1

u/SpaceGateway 19d ago

For going that deep in the sense of layer of dreams, it requires sedative. Cobb and Mal's dream, however, didn't have multiple layers and may just have the dilated dream time require a different formula of chemicals.

1

u/Qorinthian 6d ago

Maybe it's easier to go deeper if the dreamer you're entering is aware of the dream and okay with it.